He may already be the nation's most popular newsreader, but Huw Edwards, the Welshman who presents the BBC's 10 O'clock News, has now been given the royal seal of approval.

The 49-year-old from Bridgend will be anchoring the BBC's coverage of Prince William's marriage to Kate Middleton in the spring, a national celebration that will demand the deftest of presentational performances.

The role confirms Edwards's status as one of the brightest, and most respected, stars at the BBC. It is also a signal perhaps that he has been installed as the nation's new master of ceremonies, the baton passing to him from David Dimbleby. Certainly, BBC executives believe that Edwards is a man able to judge the public mood; not one to make a gaffe that would live long in the memory.

There is a theory advanced by his detractors – although it has to be said there are not too many of them – that Edwards is a safe pair of hands rather than a presenter of rare talent, a man who has risen to the top of his profession by adopting a safety-first approach to the job.

"He is conservative with a small 'c'," says one senior BBC presenter. "He got where he is by not taking any chances… if you think of [Jeremy] Paxman or [John] Humphrys or [Brian] Redhead, there is, or was, something characterful about them."

BBC executives respond to that charge by pointing out it wouldn't sit well with the public to place a journalistic rottweiler in charge of its coverage of a royal wedding. The role has to be filled by a presenter who can ensure the spotlight remains on the bride and groom. It should also be noted that Edwards made his name as a newscaster only after forging a reputation as a first-rate reporter.

After a stint at commercial radio station Swansea Sound, he joined the BBC as a trainee in 1984 and subsequently spent more than a decade reporting on Westminster for regional and national TV and radio.

He was attached to Radio 4's The World at One during the 1992 election, but moved to television towards the end of his stint, covering politics as chief political correspondent in the early 1990s, a role that confined him mainly to the BBC's rolling news channel.

At the time, the channel, in its infancy, was dogged by technical difficulties and Edwards's assured performance in challenging circumstances won him an audience of admirers within the organisation.

His big break came when he was given the opportunity to host the Six O'Clock News, using that position to stake a claim for the even more prestigious main bulletin later in the evening.

Roger Mosey, who is in charge of the BBC's coverage of the 2012 London Olympics but was head of BBC Television News when Edwards was promoted to "the Six", is unstinting in his praise.

"I like him hugely," he says. "If you're a news presenter, you are not known as a stand-up comedian or someone who brings the house down [but] he's very funny, quite gossipy and a witty guy to be with."

Mosey adds: "He has made the 10 O'Clock News the programme that it now is. Everyone thought we'd be hammered when we went up against News at 10."

Shifting the news to a later slot so that is clashed with ITV's nightly programme was a gamble that ultimately paid off and so too has the decision to appoint Edwards to anchor it.

BBC insiders concede he had to battle a powerful minority of viewers who felt that it was inappropriate to have a presenter with a strong Welsh accent fronting the main bulletin.

"It was quite a significant move," says one. "There was a lot of push-back [among audiences] about regionality. Now he is incredibly respected and it's not an issue."

"I think that when I started 20 years ago it wasn't a great deal of help," says Edwards. "I took a decision not to change it though because I felt it was an important part of my identity. Thankfully today, accents of all kinds are, quite rightly, more acceptable."

Edwards played a part in a similar ratings victory when executives at the corporation's news channel decided to introduce a 5pm news hour on BBC News, which he presented. Sky News had established a market-leading position at 5pm with a show anchored by its award-winning presenter Jeremy Thompson; now it is the BBC that wins that slot.

But it is only in recent years that Edwards has been groomed for a bigger stage, presenting events which demand a more solemn countenance, including the Festival of Remembrance, the death of Pope John Paul II and the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

Mosey says those roles are difficult to get right. "People underestimate things like the Festival of Remembrance, which is live from the Royal Albert Hall in front of the Queen, the entire political establishment and 6 or 7 million viewers."

Edwards is valued because BBC executives believe he brings the same serious but accessible demeanour to those occasions as he does to the news and has a good common touch.

He lives a comfortable life in Dulwich, south London with his wife, Vicky Flind, who works on This Week, the BBC's late-night political show hosted by Andrew Neil.

"He is very family-oriented," says an acquaintance. "He does have that sense of 'self-madeness' that you would have from this background but he's not chippy at all."

Mosey points out: "On 'the 10', you go from the death of the pope to the final eviction on Big Brother – when you do get the tone wrong it is noticeable."

The fact that he rarely turns down work also helps, of course. "It's the same with most presenters," says a BBC executive, who recalls asking Edwards why he'd got up at 5.30am to go to Wolverhampton to film Songs of Praise when he was presenting the news that night.

By choosing him over David Dimbleby, who has commentated on many a national occasion, including Prince Diana's funeral, some believe the BBC is signalling that Edwards is the "new Dimbleby". Dimbleby inherited the nation's MC position from his father, Richard.

However, the passing of that baton from father to son demonstrated it is not just the royal family which adheres to the hereditary principle and the counter-view is that Dimbleby, though now 72, may yet stake a claim to the next state funeral. (Dimbleby, though gracious in his response to the Edwards "appointment", suggested funerals might be more his thing.) Weddings, some point out, are slightly different occasions which tend to be more showbiz than serious news.

However, a BBC spokesman sounded unequivocal last week: "Huw is the BBC's go-to man for the big state occasions now" and the fact that he has also presented the state opening of Parliament suggests Edwards may have his eyes on a bigger prize.

There are some within the BBC who wonder if Edwards may also succeed Dimbleby as the main presenter of the corporation's election night coverage. Dimbleby's views on that prospect – denied by the BBC – have not been recorded, but it safe to assume he would be appalled at the prospect.

Edwards has made very few enemies, but some prominent figures in BBC News were secretly disheartened to learn last week that he would not be relinquishing his 10 o'clock role after taking on further responsibilities.

"He's very aware that lots of people have been hoping he'd be moved because he's been there for a while," according to the BBC spokesman.

Colleagues speak of a professional rivalry with George Alagiah, who presents the 6pm bulletin and is waiting patiently to land the bigger job, just as Prince Charles is waiting to ascend to the throne. Edwards is not yet 50 and colleagues joke that Alagiah may be waiting almost as long. In the meantime, Edwards is likely to be subjected to even greater public scrutiny, while some BBC insiders point out that he might relish being the most prominent Welshman at the wedding of Prince William of Wales.

The BBC spokesman says: "He's certainly up there to be knocked down in a way he won't have been before." History suggests Edwards will react to that in typically unflappable fashion and perhaps even with a touch of royal disdain.